Adjustable snap fastener for wallets or the like

ABSTRACT

AN ADJUSTABLE SNAP FASTENING MEANS FOR SECURING A FLAP TO A PANEL HAS A NOVEL CONSTRUCTION OF THE FEMALE FASTENING MEANS WITH ITS ELONGATED PLASTIC BLOCK WHICH CAN HOLD THE STUD AT ANY OF SEVERAL SELECTED LOCATIONS. A ONE-PIECE RETAINER FOR THE BLOCK HAS A FRAME WITH UNINTERRUPTED ROUNDED CORNERS AND CLAMPING FLANGES WHICH EXTEND SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL LENGTH OF THE FRAME. THE SHEET METAL BLANK FROM WHICH THE FRAME IS FORMED IS INWARDLY NOTCHED AT EACH END SO THAT THE INTURNED PORTIONS FORMING THE SUPPORTING WEBS FOR THE BLOCK TERMINATE CONSIDERABLY SHORT OF THE ENDS OF THE FRAME SO AS NOT TO INTERFERE WITH THE FORMATION OF THE CORNERS AND THE ATTACHMENT OF THE FRAME TO THE BLOCK.

Feb 1971 D. J. DADDONA, JR

ADJUSTABLE SNAP FASTENER FOR WALLETS ORTHE LIKE Filed July 22, 1969 INVENTOR ATTRNEY United States Patent 3,564,673 ADJUSTABLE SNAP FASTENER FOR WALLETS OR THE LIKE Domenic John Daddona, Jr., Waterbury, Conn., asslgnor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn.,

a corporation of Connecticut Filed July 22, 1969, Ser. No. 843,340 Int. Cl. A44b 17/00 US. Cl. 24-206 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An adjustable snap fastening means for securing a flap to a panel has a novel construction of the female fastening means with its elongated plastic block which can hold the stud at any of several selected locations. A one-piece retainer for the block has a frame with uninterrupted rounded corners and clamping flanges which extend substantially the full length of the frame. The sheet metal blank from which the frame is formed is inwardly notched at each end so that the inturned portions forming the supporting webs for the block terminate considerably short of the ends of the frame so as not to interfere with the formation of the corners and the attachment of the frame to the block.

The invention relates generally to an adjustable snap fastening means for connecting a flap to a panel. It is especially useful in billfolds having card cases in which the fastener may be connected at any of several positions to accommodate various thicknesses of card accumulations. One example of such a general type of fastener is found in the patent to Shears 3,270,386.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a socket block and a one-piece frame construction having smooth uninterrupted corners, and an overhanging lip clamping around a shoulder on the socket block.

In forming such a frame, the conventional practice has the clamping flanges not extend to the ends of the frame so that they would not interfer with the formation of the frame corners. There results a substantial length of frame projecting endwise beyond the clamping flanges at either end of the frame. The projecting ends thus being unanchored, tend to pull away from the panel. This situation is avoided in the present invention by having the flanges run co-extensive with the frame and having the supporting webs which are intermediate the flanges and frame stop short of the ends of the frame.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown for purpose of illustration one embodiment which the invention may assume in practice. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a face view of the inside of a portion of a billfold showing the card carrying case;

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1 showing the flap closed;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan viewon an enlarged scale of the female fastening means;

FIG. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal central section on line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a view of the sheet metal frame member before assembly with the socket block; and

FIG. 7 is a partial rear side view of the female fastening means ready for assembly with a wallet panel.

A wallet generally designated 8 (FIG. 1) has a panel 9 forming a card carrying case which is normally closed by a flap 10. A stud or male fastener part 11 is attached 3,564,673 Patented Feb. 23, 1971 in any suitable way to the flap 10 and is adapted to be fastened at a selected one of several positions to a female fastening means generally designated 12. For this purpose, an elongated block 13 of rectangular outline and preferably molded of plastic material, has a series of holes 14 along the center line of the block. These holes are sized and shaped so as to adapt each of them for snap engagement with the stud 11.

As seen in FIG. 4, each of the holes 14 has a constricted entrance portion 15 which is somewhat flexible due to the pliable nature of the plastic material. The diameter of each entrance portion 15 is, of course, slightly smaller than the maximum diameter of the stud 11. The plastic block 12 has a forwardly facing shoulder 16 which extends continuously along the sides and around the ends of the block.

A one-piece retainer member made from sheet material is first shaped as seen in FIG. 6 to provide a rectangular frame with side Walls 17, 18, and end walls 19, 20 (FIG. 3). A lip 21 extends continuously around the frame from edges of the side and end walls into overlying relationship with the shoulder 16 on the block. This shape can be drawn up from sheet metal to provide uninterrupted, smoothly rounded corners 22.

Extending inwardly on the back side of the block are the supporting webs 23 and 24 which are joined to the side wall 17, 18 respectively. It will be observed that these web portions 23, 24 are considerably shorter than the frame which is due to the cut-outs 25 (FIG. 7) at each corner of the frame. Securing flanges 26, 27 are joined to the inner edges of these webs and initially project rearwardly through slits 28 in the panel as seen in FIG. 4 and in full lines in FIG. 7.

The fasteners 12 are adapted to be fed by machine and inserted through such slits whereupon a simple pressing operation in the same machine bends the flanges 26, 27 outwardly against the panel 9 to clamp the retainer to the panel. In view of the fact that the ends of flanges 27, 28 project along the cut-outs 25 to substantially the ends of the frame, they will grip the panel throughout the full length of the retainer so that any lifting or tearing action will not produce a leverage which might tend to tear the retainer away.

In FIG. 6, the sheet metal piece is shown with a web portion 23 and flange 26 extended straight from the outer side of the frame. This is ready to receive the block from the rear of the frame with the front face of the block 29 projecting beyond the lip 21. The metal is then bent along lines 30 and 31 into the shape shown in FIG. 7 where it is ready to be assembled to the panel.

I claim:

1. Adjustable snap fastening means adapted for securing a flap to a panel wherein a stud member mounted on the flap and a female fastening means is mounted on the panel, characterized by the construction of the female fastening means which comprises:

(a) an elongated block of rectangular outline having means for snap engagement with the stud member at any of a plurality of socket openings located along the length of the block; and

(b) a one-piece retainer having a frame with side and end walls joined by uninterrupted smoothly rounded corners and extending around the sides and ends of said block, an overhanging lip along the front edges of said side and end walls and engaging a forwardly facing surface on said block, inwardly turned supporting webs along the back edges of said side Walls, such webs terminating a substantial distance from each of said corners, and securing flanges joined to the inner edges of said webs and extending beyond the ends of said webs, said flanges projecting rearwardly through the panel and clenched over against the panel outwardly in opposite directions to clamp the retainer to the panel along substantially the entire length of the retainer.

2. Adjustable fastening means as defined in claim 1 wherein the sheet metal piece constituting the retainer has a cut-out at each corner between the flanges and frame and wherein said flanges are substantially coextensive in length with said block.

3. Adjustable fastening means as defined in claim 1 wherein said block has its main central portion projecting forwardly beyond said lip, the block presenting a References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1966 Shears 24-206 7/1969 Jacobson 24-217 BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

